Authenticity of the Story About a Companion with Two Beard Hairs
Source: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam)
Is it true that there was a Companion whose beard had only one or two hairs, and when he plucked them out, the Prophet ﷺ became displeased and told him that angels used to play with those hairs?
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ‘ala Rasulillah, amma ba’d!
A narration is found with the following wording:
“There was a Companion whose beard had only two hairs. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ saw him, he smiled. This Companion was surprised and eventually shaved those two hairs. When the Prophet ﷺ saw him, he asked about the reason. The Companion replied: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I noticed that whenever you saw me, you smiled.’ (Or words to that effect.) The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘The reason I smiled was that I saw with each hair an angel guarding it.’”
Despite thorough investigation, no reliable source could be found for this narration.
Therefore, this story is not established in terms of sanad (chain of transmission) and cannot be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ with certainty.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam)
❖ Question
Is it true that there was a Companion whose beard had only one or two hairs, and when he plucked them out, the Prophet ﷺ became displeased and told him that angels used to play with those hairs?
❖ Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ‘ala Rasulillah, amma ba’d!
A narration is found with the following wording:
“There was a Companion whose beard had only two hairs. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ saw him, he smiled. This Companion was surprised and eventually shaved those two hairs. When the Prophet ﷺ saw him, he asked about the reason. The Companion replied: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I noticed that whenever you saw me, you smiled.’ (Or words to that effect.) The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘The reason I smiled was that I saw with each hair an angel guarding it.’”
Issue of Authenticity
Despite thorough investigation, no reliable source could be found for this narration.
Therefore, this story is not established in terms of sanad (chain of transmission) and cannot be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ with certainty.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
